


wherever there is you, i will be there too

by mrpascals



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:55:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25450498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrpascals/pseuds/mrpascals
Summary: You haven’t seen Diego in years, but one night, he shows up at your door looking for a place to sleep. (gender neutral reader)
Relationships: Diego Hargreeves/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 63





	wherever there is you, i will be there too

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr didn't do justice for this, but i don't care!! i love diego hargreeves and i WILL protect him!!!!!!!

Five years. Five years since he’s left you. Five years since you haven’t seen those brown soft eyes, the breathtaking smile, five years since you haven’t run your fingers through his hair. Five years since you haven’t heard his voice. Five years since he got up and left without a word or a note; since you woke up alone for the first time in a long time; since you saw everything he owned gone. Five years since you’ve been having trouble sleeping because he was the only one who could lull you to deep slumber.

The wound is still there, barely a scar. It reminds you of what love can bring you. Suffering and pain. Screams and fights. Tears and heartbreak. It’s a reminder, a note stuck on the walls around your heart that doesn’t let anyone get too close.

Yeah, life went on. You made new friends, got a new job, moved places, got new furniture. At first, it felt like everything was on autopilot mode. But then it got better. It got lighter. And, even though you still have trouble sleeping, sometimes you forget he once existed in your life.

But sometimes, his name pops up in the back of your mind. You can’t lie. Once in a while, on a rainy day, or a cold night, you remember the times where he used to hold you close and you two would stay on the couch, watching bad sitcoms and laughing at unfunny jokes you’d tell each other.

So when you find him, sitting at the door of your building, you think it’s your mind playing tricks at you. It’s late, you’re coming home from work as you approach him, your heart in your throat, beating quickly as if it’s going to stop.

“Diego?” You hear your own voice, weak and shaky, calling him.

His eyes shoot up at you and your breath gets caught on your throat. He looks the same. Not a day older. Just like you remember, the same scars, the same haircut, the same brown eyes. Diego grins when he sees you, a relief grin. Like he was waiting for hours, sitting on the concrete steps, waiting for you.

“Hi,” He says, his voice making your heart clench, as he stands and takes a step towards you. Hesitating, you stay still, the keys of your place in your hands.

_Five years._

There’s so much you want to ask. How is he? Is he hurt? How did he find you? Why is he here? Why is he back after so long? Why did he leave you?

“What are you doing here?” You settle for a more hostile approach, crossing your arms and swallowing hard, fighting the urge to throw your arms around him and hug him tight.

Diego’s smile falls and you almost feel guilty for being a little harsh. His gaze is on the ground for a moment and he sighs; you have a feeling that he doesn’t even know the answer to your question. Whether you like it or not, you know Diego and you know he’s not in a good place. You know he’s tired just by the look in his eyes. And not just physically tired, emotionally too.

It makes your heart clench even more. It makes you want to ask if he’s okay, what’s going on with him. But you’re not his partner anymore. It’s not up to you anymore. **  
**

“Angel–” He starts, but you interrupt him.

“Don’t call me that.”

Diego sighs again, but doesn’t say anything; he holds your gaze with a tired look. Exhausted even. You swear you see a hint of sadness in those brown pretty eyes of his. But no. This man left you without a word, you would _not_ give in that easy.

“How did you find me?” You ask, after letting out a shaky breath.

“Your friends told me where you lived.” He gives you a small smile as you roll your eyes. Of course. “I-I–” He swallows hard and hesitates again. “You m-moved. And g-got a new job.”

“Yeah.” You nod. “I work as a bartender now. My shift just ended.”

Diego nods, the smile he gives you doesn’t match his eyes. “How is T-Tony?”

Looking away, it’s your turn to swallow, your eyes finally watering at the memory of the dear old cat you both adopted as soon as you moved in together. Diego had found him on the streets during one of his watches as a vigilante and brought him home. The cat stank so bad you had to give it two baths, but you loved him since the moment you laid your eyes on him. He was a nice cat. Calm, cuddly, a really nice company in the lonely days. You had named it Tony, in honor of your own childhood pet.

“He died,” You answer.

“Oh.”

An uncomfortable silence hangs in the air as you think of what to say. The urge to ask him a million questions and to say everything you’ve been holding in for five years is muffled inside you as you tell yourself to keep it calm.

“Listen, I have to get in.” You start, walking towards the door. “It’s getting late and I’m tired…”

“Yeah, yeah, s-sure.” He nods, giving you space to unlock the door. “I-I-I–”

“You need a place to stay the night.” You say it before he can finish his sentence.

Diego looks at you with an apologetic look on his face. You almost scoff. If only he was here for you… Burying every ounce of hope deep down, you sigh, nodding at him.

“Let me guess, I’m your last resort?” You don’t mean to sound this bitter, or maybe you do, but it comes naturally. His eyes shoot up to yours, widening as the venom of your words hit him. “Don’t answer that. We both know it’s true.”

Unlocking the door, you don’t give him time to defend himself as you make space for him to enter the building. “C’mon, you can sleep on the couch.”

Diego’s eyes light up as he walks in and nods. “I’ll be gone in the morning, you won’t even notice…”

It stings. You don’t know why, but his words make your heart bleed like he had opened the wound himself. They echo in your mind as you go up the stairs to your apartment, Diego following right after you. He has nothing with him, not even a backpack. He must be desperate to seek you. He must have no one.

As you unlock the door to your apartment, letting him in after you, a weird feeling settles in your stomach. Maybe this is a mistake. Maybe you shouldn’t have let him in, maybe you should have told him no. But it’s late, and you’re tired; you just want to get it done with it.

He’ll be gone in the morning. It’ll be like it never happened. And that’s what’s killing you on the inside.

You see Diego taking in your small apartment. No spare room, one restroom, an open kitchen. The couch you offer him to sleep looks comfortable, with lots of cushions and pillows. He grins when he sees you still maintain some decoration from when you both were together. It might not be the same objects, but the pattern is. Cushions on the couch, small pots of plants, books everywhere. It makes his heart skip a beat at the thought of you not changing, staying the same, just as he remembers.

He watches as you shrug off your coat and take off your shoes before walking inside the apartment; he thinks of doing the same, but he doesn’t feel welcome yet. You walk to your bedroom and return shortly, with a soft blanket in your arms. If you recall correctly, he gets warm in his sleep, so you choose the lightest blanket you own and lay it neatly on the couch. Then, you look at him and catch him staring at you. It’s a second of silence and it makes you uneasy.

“There’s–” You clear your throat when your voice comes out weak. “There’s tap water… If you’re thirsty.”

His eyes don’t leave yours. “Okay.”

The air thickens between you two. You feel it. He feels it. you wonder if his lips still taste the same after five years.

“Goodnight, Diego,” You say instead, and turn around quickly to enter your bedroom.

But Diego calls your name in a whisper, and your heart stops. You stop your tracks and look back at him to see him still staring at you, with tired, sad eyes.

“T-t-thank you.” He stutters and you feel your heart skip a beat. Nodding, you turn back around and enter your room, closing the door behind you.

You don’t bother to take a shower tonight, not wanting to see him anymore. Hell, who are you kidding? Of course, you want to see him. You want to talk to him, be with him. Maybe you still have feelings for him, you don’t know. Or maybe you just never had closure. Maybe all you need is an apology.

When you finally lay your head on the pillow, pajamas already on, you look at the clock at your bedside table. It marks almost midnight and you’re nowhere near to falling asleep. Knowing that he’s right there, in your living room. Knowing it took five years for him to come back. You feel the tears sting your eyes and make no effort to hold them back.

The clock marks 12:30 am when you finally cry yourself to sleep.

…

The overwhelming thirst wakes you up from your restless sleep at three in the morning. You push the blankets away from you and softly pads towards the kitchen in the dark. Quickly, you take a glass from the cabinet and fill it with tap water and bring it to your lips. The water goes down cold and you sigh, relieved.

You’re ready to get back to your bedroom when you hear a soft whimper coming from the living room. Feeling your heart jump, you remember Diego is sleeping on your couch, as you turn around to face him. He’s tossing and turning, the blanket on the floor and, as you approach, you notice he’s soaked in sweat. His sweatshirt is long gone, neatly folded on top of his boots and the leather holsters that hold his knives on the floor.

You’re not sure if you should be doing this, but the vision of him having nightmares was always something that broke your heart. So you, hesitantly, place your palm on his shoulder, shaking him slightly.

Diego snaps his eyes open and moves to sit up, grabbing the knives from under the cushion he was using as a pillow.

“Hey,” you say, softly. “It’s me.” He relaxes and sighs, swallowing hard. “You were having a nightmare.”

He swallows hard, sitting up on the couch, and wiping the sweat off his brows. You move to sit on the coffee table in front of him.

“Are you okay?” The words come out without a warning, and you can’t help but worry about him. You observe his shirtless torso and it breaks your heart to see more scars than you remember on his skin. The sweat makes his skin shine in the moonlight and you catch yourself staring before he answers.

He nods, avoiding your gaze. “Y-yeah.” You see him swallow again and open your mouth to ask if he wants some water, but he speaks before you can get the words out. “No, I’m not.”

A scoff almost leaves your lips. “Understatement of the year.”

If he notices your sarcasm, he doesn’t show. Diego looks at your eyes, holding your gaze for a moment before speaking again, his voice shaky and small.

“I lied to you.” He confesses. You frown in confusion. “I didn’t need a place to stay the night. I just w-w-wanted to see–” He exhales. “To see you.”

Tears water your eyes as you feel your heart skip a beat. You try to swallow the feelings that hit you like a train, but when you speak, your voice is choked in a whisper.

“You didn’t have to lie.”

“I know, I’m s-sorry.”

You swallow again. Suddenly aware that maybe you’re sitting too close to him, you look away as you play with the hem of your sleep shirt. Diego calls your name, but you don’t look at him. Not until you feel his hesitant hand touch yours. His eyes are watery, bloodshot.

“I-I almost died tonight.” He breathes, struggling to find the words. “And– I could only think of– Of you.” When you don’t speak, he continues. “It-It wasn’t fair. You were like home. And I just left.“

The tears that roll down your cheeks are quickly wiped as you stand abruptly, not really wanting to show your emotions to him.

"We don’t have to talk about this–” You start walking to your bedroom, but Diego stands up and calls your name once more.

“Please.” He begs. “Please, just–” He sighs, closing his eyes.

“Diego, no.” You hear your voice quiver as fresh tears roll down your face. “I’ve spent five years trying to understand– Trying to move on, thinking what did I do for you to just leave without a warning! I blamed myself for so long and when I finally come to terms with you leaving, you– You come back out of nowhere!”

The sob that escapes your lips surprises both you and Diego as you try to control your breathing. He tries to take a step towards you, slowly.

“Why, Diego?” You hiss, another sob escaping your lips. “Why did you just leave?”

His shoulders sag as he gives you a sad look.

“I thought–” He hesitates. “I thought you’d b-be– safer without me.”

You frown, crossing your arms. “What?”

Diego sighs, rubbing his eyes with the heels on his hands, clearly tired. You feel bad for him, you see how hard this is for him.

“W-what I do, it wasn't– it isn’t safe.” He doesn’t look at you as he speaks. “I-I was doing w-what was best–”

“I thought I had made it pretty clear you didn’t get a saying what was best for me.” You interrupt him.

There’s a moment of silence where you both just stare at each other; tears blurring both of your eyes. A moment where everything is background and all you see is him. A moment where you forget he broke you, where you forget how hurt you are. Then, he says your name in a low voice and looks into your eyes again.

“I’m sorry.” He doesn’t stutter this time. “For leaving. I really am.”

The sob that leaves your lips echoes in his mind as he tried to take a step towards you again. You don’t flinch, you don’t step back. So he approaches you, hesitantly raising his hands to touch you.

“What do you want, Diego?” You look at him with teary eyes. “Why are you here?”

“You.” He admits, cupping your cheeks with both hands. “I want to be with you again. I want t-to come home.”

And then he wraps his arms around you and holds you as you break down. Just like he did many times. Your cheek press against his bare skin, as he holds you close, running a hand through your hair.

“You b-broke me, Diego–” You cry. “You fucking broke me.”

“I know.” His own voice sounds choked and for a moment, you think he’ll cry too.

But his touch is like a balm to your soul. It makes you sigh in relief, it’s like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders. Like you’ve been thirsty for so long and his skin is refreshment. Diego holds you to his chest until you calm down and the tears turn into dry lines cutting on your cheeks.

Embarrassment suddenly takes over you and you pull away from him, turning your back and facing the other of the hallway. He patiently waits until you face him again.

“Do you mean it?” You ask, calmer now. He reaches to your hand and lays it flat against his chest.

“Of course,” He responds, almost smiling. “I promise you I won’t let you down again. I won’t hurt you anymore.”

“I don’t trust you anymore.” You whisper, watching as the ghost of a smile disappears from his face.

“I know.” Diego looks away.

“You’re gonna have to earn it again. My trust in you is broken.”

His eyes light up as he looks at you again. You’re not smiling, but you’re not scowling or crying anymore. You run your hand up on his chest until it rests on the side of his neck.

“Promise me.” You plead. “Promise me you won’t leave in the morning.”

“Angel,” He whispers, resting his forehead on yours. “I promise you I will never leave you again.”

For the first time tonight, you smile.

“Then kiss me.”

And Diego does. His lips gently press to yours and you sigh on his mouth. How you missed this. How you missed being with him. As you pull him to your bed, all the angst is forgotten. All the pain is long gone. The walls around your heart finally crumble down and you let him in.

That night, you have the deepest slumber you’ve had in years.


End file.
